PERTHYN / BELONGING Interpretation Strategy for Oriel 1 INTERPRETATION STRATEGY FOR PERTHYN/BELONGING (ORIEL 1) INTRODUCTION The aim of this strategy is to set out how the Oriel 1 authors intend to communicate with current and potential users, and cater for a variety of learning styles and needs. It is the first step in developing a museum-wide interpretation strategy for St Fagans National History Museum, and will demonstrate an innovative and experimental approach to interpreting the collections. The strategy has been informed by National Museum Wales’ Learning and Access Policy, the Inspiring Learning for All Framework, data collated from current museum studies research and both baseline and qualitative evaluation of current user groups to St Fagans. The theme of the first exhibition in Oriel 1 will be Perthyn/Belonging. Main Message There is no such thing as one Welsh identity - there are many. The exhibition will explore how our sense of who we are, and where we belong, is shaped by language, beliefs, family ties and a sense of nationhood. It will show that culture and traditions are constantly evolving, and will question what the future holds for a nation like Wales in a global age. Ninian Park Primary School pupils at Penrhiw Chapel 1 PERTHYN / BELONGING Interpretation Strategy for Oriel 1 Aims and objectives The exhibition will Provide opportunities for people to physically and intellectually engage with the collections, archives and their stories. Experiment with methods of contemporary collecting, adding to the collections in ways that are relevant to the needs of today and the future. Endeavour to work with relevant stakeholders and communities to ensure that the collections are meaningful to the diverse peoples and cultures of Wales. Create a flexible space to investigate and evaluate the ways in which people create meanings, draw on memories and learn in a gallery setting. Create a user-centred exhibition which respects and provides opportunities for visitors’ views. Provide learning pathways to the historical buildings and displays. Studying objects at the Celtic Village USERS AND VISITORS Learning Outcomes The exhibition has been designed with these overarching learning outcomes in mind: Knowledge and understanding Change and development of a minority culture in a global age Influences that help shape people: family; language choice; beliefs and nationhood Skills Key skills including communication, creative and intellectual skills Engagement with museological processes Attitudes, Values and Feelings Developing an understanding that culture and tradition have always been in a state of flux, that Wales has always been a multi-faith and a multilingual society Investigating their own and other’s beliefs and understandings Challenging stereotypes and creating a space for contemporary debate Enjoyment, Inspiration and Creativity Socialising, enjoying and being inspired by the objects on display Activity, Behaviour and Progression Increased interest in heritage and cultural life and a stimulus for repeat visits The provision of meaningful links between Oriel 1 and the historical buildings Engagement and involvement of visitors in the future development of Oriel 1 The challenge for the museum is to retain existing audiences whilst attracting new ones, providing worthwhile experiences for both. All displays, text and interactives have been developed with the users’ needs in mind. For a detailed list of audiences and their needs, see Appendix A. 2 PERTHYN / BELONGING Interpretation Strategy for Oriel 1 LEARNING THEORIES Evaluation has informed the process of creating this exhibition. The process itself has been a learning experience for all involved. The strategy has been influenced by the current cultural critiques of the role of museum visitors in the production of meaning. It draws on the Inspiring Learning for All framework and current research and thinking in the fields of education, museology and interpretation theory, in particular the work of George Hein (1998), Eilean Hooper-Greenhill (2002), Louise J. Ravelli (2006), Freeman Tilden (1957). For detailed plans of the exhibition content, please see Appendix B. Teachers evaluating possible storylines EXHIBITION FORMAT AND METHODS OF DISPLAY Format The exhibition will follow 4 main themes namely: Voices; Beliefs; Family and Nation. Each theme is explored in a dedicated zone. Other zones provide an area for talks and workshops, an archive retrieval area for research work, and spaces in which contemporary art and/or temporary exhibitions relating to these themes can be displayed. Visitors can access and exit the exhibition from two directions. The way in which each zone is approached cannot be prescribed, and will depend on the visitors and their needs. Differentiation and hands-on activities will be found in each zone. Methods of display We accept that meanings and knowledge are not givens which are simply transmitted to visitors but are actively constructed by the visitors themselves. People come with their own memories, views and ideas about objects and take with them what they want from interpretations provided. The old displays in Gallery 1 offered very little interpretation and it was always interesting to see visitors openly construct their own. Our aim is to provide them with better frameworks around which to do so. The emphasis has been placed on creating a social space. It will be a contemporary space which visitors can use at their leisure, wher eTesting their o wannd tho evughtsaluating and respon memosesries to can objects be developed and shared. Use of text 3 PERTHYN / BELONGING Interpretation Strategy for Oriel 1 Research informs us that people usually remember 30% of what they read, 50% of what they see and 90% of what they say and do. Visitors don’t come to museums primarily to read. Most current research indicates that visitors read about 18% of the labels provided. Through basic captions, visual images and message boards the text has been kept short accepting that visitors will be standing and may be distracted by other people, objects and information in the gallery. Text will be structured to provide 3 tiers of information. An archive retrieval zone will provide opportunities for people who wish to explore deeper levels of information to do so at their leisure. Questions will be used to provoke, to encourage the visitors to pursue personal lines of enquiry, and as a structuring device in the text to predict forthcoming information. For a Use of Text Checklist, see Appendix C. Use of different authors The use of external authors and artists has enabled us to enrich the stories told and explore new and personal responses to the collections. These include responses through art, poetry, history, video, community-curated displays and oral testimonies. An example would be the animation company Cinetig’ s work with the pupils of three different schools to produce video displays for the gallery, based on the children’s response to the collections and themes displayed Use of objects Neylands Primary School pupils creating an animation We have placed importance on creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to interact both physically and intellectually with the objects. The gallery in its previous form was cherished by many visitors because of the appeal of the objects displayed. Evaluation through focus groups and planning for specific possible learning outcomes helped inform the choice of objects which will form the new exhibition. We will experiment not only with what is displayed, but how it is displayed. In some instances, familiar objects will be used to enable visitors to relate, feel comfortable and respond. In others, historically unfamiliar objects will be explained by placing contemporary equivalents alongside them. Juxtaposing objects and stories provide opportunities to explore parallel histories and connections between personal memories and the formation of national histories. We will endeavour to retain a number of popular objects whilst also showing items from the collections that have not previously been on display. We will, as far as is practically possible, regularly refresh elements of the displays in order to increase access to the collections as well as for reasons of conservation. Where original items of intrinsic interest and value are too fragile to be on display, or where learning outcomes will be enhanced by the handling of objects, we will consider the use of 4 Discussing an eisteddfod chair made in Shanghai PERTHYN / BELONGING Interpretation Strategy for Oriel 1 replicas. A handling collection of unaccessioned objects for use in the gallery will be available in the Activity space under supervision. Use of audio-visual material Increasing access to our collections also includes access to audio-visual archives, in the form of photographs, sound recordings of music and oral history, as well as film and video. These include our own collections and those of other national institutions, such as the National Library of Wales and the BBC. Audio-visual and computer equipment will be used to support and interpret the material collections, and display the audio-visual collections, rather than detracting attention from them. Where appropriate, we will use visual media to convey messages rather than the written word. Use of orientation aids Orientation aids and trails will make thematic links between the gallery and the outdoor section of the museum. They will create learning pathways, providing a context for collections